Christmas With Hover Hill (11 page)

Hover was right. This dress would have to do. A white
nylon scarf wrapped around her neck, over her shoulder and draped
down the front and back would fancy the dress up some. She owned a
pair of white heels. That might do for foot wear.

Saturday evening, Bud came to the door to escort her
to his pickup. He had a thick, red plaid, mackinaw jacket over his
broad shoulders, and wore a red checkered western shirt and black
slacks. A fresh layer of powdery snow dusted his cowboy boots. His
voice was deeply cheerful. “You ready to go?”

“
As ready as I'm going to ever be,” Elizabeth
said halfheartedly. “I'm not sure I'm dressed right for the
dance.”

Bud gave her an approving look. “You fishing for a
compliment? Because if you are, you look great!”

“
I didn't mean to do that. I just want to look
all right since I'm a stranger in town,” Elizabeth said.

“
You are all right. I say you're going to have
fun, and you will. I'm going to make sure of that. You'll see,” He
said, offering his gloved hand to help her walk down the snowy
steps.

The closer they were to Wickenburg the more Elizabeth
fidgeted. She hadn't been to a dance in years. From the attire Bud
had on, she wasn't sure she'd know how to dance the dances
Wickenburg citizens did. He looked like he was ready to do a line
dance. She just hoped she didn't embarrass herself and her
date.

Bud escorted Elizabeth into the large room once they
hung their coats on the entry way rack. The holly and mistletoe
decorated hall was crowded. Voices mingled together with laughter
as everyone talked at once. The band was setting up on the stage at
the front of the room.

As they walked passed people, Bud seemed to be a
crowd favorite from all the greetings he received. Workers from the
grocery store remembered Elizabeth and welcomed her to the
dance.

The band struck up a two step. Bud took Elizabeth in
his arms. “Okay so far, Lizzy?”

“
Yes, this is the one dance I used to be good
at, but I may be rusty,” Elizabeth said with a giggle.

“
You will do just fine,” Bud drawled, smiling
down at her as he pulled her closer to him.

After the music stopped, Bud left Elizabeth standing
along the wall and went to get them a glass of punch. The waitress
from the diner came from across the room and stopped by her.
“Enjoying yourself this evening?”

“
Yes, thank you.”

“
Bud is one of the good guys. Guess you've
figured that out,” Susie said, keeping her eyes on Bud across the
room at the punch table.

“
He is that,” Elizabeth agreed.

“
Everyone in town likes Bud. They wouldn't like
to see him get hurt. Especially by a stranger,” Susie warned
softly. “I see Bud's coming back. I have to go. I just wanted to
say watch your step, Missy.”

Elizabeth started to reply, but the waitress
turned and melted into the crowd.
What was
that all about? Is she jealous because Bud brought me to the dance
instead of her?

Bud handed her the punch. “Drink up. The band won't
give us much of a break between their sets. They like to play.”

Elizabeth nodded and sipped her punch as she studied
the crowd. Everyone seemed be having a good time. As far as she
could tell, they weren't paying any attention to her. Maybe she
didn't have any other Wickenburg citizen to worry about yet except
for the waitress.

Bud looked worried. “You're awfully quiet. Not having
a good time?”

“
I am. Just powering down as Hover Hill would
say until the next dance,” Elizabeth said, smiling at
him.

By the time the evening was over, Elizabeth
discovered she had really enjoyed herself. One little doubt nagged
at her. She was too easily caught off guard by Bud's folksy charm.
Sometime, she just might say something about her past that would
trip her up. Bud was too smart. He'd be quick to call her on the
lies she told.

Then there was that waitress. Her warning had
Elizabeth baffled. She wanted to ask Bud what he knew about the
woman, but she resisted. She didn't want to hear a story about his
old girlfriend.

When they arrived at the house after the dance, Bud
pulled up by the porch in front of the rick of wood and escorted
Elizabeth up the porch steps to the door. Bud took her by the
shoulders and turned her to face him. His head dipped toward
Elizabeth's face. His mouth brushed her lips tenderly.

Elizabeth slipped her arms around his neck and
returned the kiss. Bud pulled away so he could look at her.
Surprise showed on his face. He wasn't the only one that felt that
way. Elizabeth surprised herself when she didn't resist his kiss.
Maybe she should have pushed him away, but she didn't do that. She
didn't think she'd ever feel this way again about a man after what
Steven did to her.

Bud pulled her to him, ready for another kiss.
Suddenly, the porch light came on, flooding them with a yellow
glow. They parted and stared up at the bright light.

“
Sorry,” Elizabeth said, feeling an embarrassed
flush creeping across her face.

Bud grinned. “Dang it! Makes me feel like a teenager
caught by your parents sparking with you. You sure that robot likes
me?”

The door clicked as the latch unlocked. Elizabeth
giggled. “Who knows about Hover Hill. I'm not even sure he likes
me. At the very least, he just now gave me the signal that I should
call it a night. Thanks for a lovely evening, and good night, Bud.
See you tomorrow?”

“
You got it.” He gave her a quick peck on the
cheek before he bounced down the steps to his pickup.

Elizabeth opened the door. Hover, arms folded across
his chest, stood in the middle of the living room. He looked like
he was ready for a confrontation with her.

“
Why did you turn that porch light on just
now?” Elizabeth groused.

“
It was taking you too long to come in. I
thought you had trouble finding your key in your purse with it so
dark. It's too cold out there to waste time and get all chilled. I
wanted to give you light to be helpful,” Hover excused.

“
Thank you for your help, I think,” Elizabeth
said, starting around him.

“
Did you enjoy your evening?” Hover
asked.

Elizabeth stopped to study him. “Yes, Hover. I did
have a good time.”

“
That's all that counts. I am glad for you. Now
that you are home, I can power down,” Hover droned softly. “Good
night, Beth.”

Suddenly, Elizabeth felt her anger disappearing.
“Good night, Hover. Thanks for waiting up for me.”

Bud was right. Hover had acted like a parent or an
older brother, waiting up for her to get home from a date. That
wasn't what she'd had in mind when she brought the robot with
her.

Obviously, Hover's memory bank clearly remembered
their conversation about her being safer with a man along on this
trip. She smiled when she realized Hover was taking his job of
protecting her very seriously.

Chapter 9

After the late night out, Elizabeth surprised herself
by waking up early. She dressed and quietly wriggled into her coat
to keep from rousing Hover out of his power down mode. She stepped
out on the porch with the feeling she had plenty of restless energy
to walk off.

The screen door slammed behind her, making the only
noise in the morning stillness. The birds were even too cold to
cheep. Her breath floated in tiny clouds in front of her face as
she walked carefully down the frosted steps.

She looked around, thinking about how she was stuck
out here in the middle of no where. She had placed herself in a
self imposed exile away from everyone she knew because of a rotten
man. Snapshots of Steven and her before he left her flipped through
her mind like the pages of an old photo album. At the time, she
thought they were a happy couple and look how that turned out.
Clearly, she wasn't a good judge of men in past years and probably
not now or in the future.

Her uneasy mind went to the wonderful evening she'd
just had with Bud. He was as different from Steven as night and
day. For that very reason she had to be careful. His boyish grin
made her head swim. The looks he'd been giving her kept her from
thinking clearly. When she first met Bud, she'd worried that she'd
give away her secret unintentionally. Now she had to worry about
being hurt by another man. One that she didn't know very well, and
maybe, she shouldn't take the time to get to know. She wasn't going
to stay in this North Pole exile forever. She missed her friends,
her apartment in the city and her teaching job. Speaking of
friends, Zoe must be worried sick about her. When it seemed a safe
thing to do, she should call Zoe and explain what happened so her
friend wouldn't worry anymore.

Alerted to the crunch under her boots, Elizabeth
concentrated on where she stepped in the frozen snow. She pulled
her coat closer around her and moved briskly to keep warm. She was
almost to the pasture fence when she heard the tractor behind her.
She stepped out of the trail and waited for Bud to drive by her. He
nodded, smiled as he parked and hopped to the ground. He opened the
gate as he asked, “Want to go with me to put the hay out?”

“
Sure. Why not?”

Bud grabbed her by the waist and helped her into the
tractor. He climbed into the seat, shifted gears and drove the
tractor toward the milling cows. When he got to the herd, he honked
the horn to scatter the cattle. Once he had the bale off the tine,
he drove in a circle around the cattle and headed for the gate.
“You look pretty chipper this morning after a late night out,
Lizzy. Have a good night's sleep?”

“
I did. Thank you very much. That dancing must
have tired me out. I slept like a log,” she said, smiling at
him.

“
I'm glad you had fun. That's the first time
I've seen you happy. I'm going to have to find more ways to keep
you smiling. You have a nice smile and a pretty laugh,” Bud
complimented.

“
Oh well, don't work too hard at it. You must
remember I'm not going to be here past June.” Elizabeth watched the
trees to keep Bud from seeing her swimming eyes. Now that she was
in his presence again she wasn't in such a hurry to leave.
When am I ever going to make up my mind what I
want to do?

“
Lizzy, can't you ever see yourself settled in
one place.” He paused and added, “And happy?”

Elizabeth's voice tightened. “I have reason not to
believe in fairy tales with happy endings. I can't let myself even
dream about such things as a home and happiness. I'm pretty sure a
happy ever after life isn't going to happen for me.”

Bud pulled her to him to offer her comfort. He
wrapped his arm around her so she could lay her head against his
shoulder. “Don't ever give up on happy ever after fairy tales, Miss
Negativity. Most of them do come true.” He stopped the tractor.
Elizabeth pulled away from him. “You gonna be all right now?”

“
Yes, I'm find. Thank you for being such a good
friend even if you are a glass half full kind of guy,” she said
with a weak smile and climbed down.

“
You betcha. Any time,” he replied.

Elizabeth watched Bud drive away before she went
inside. The house smelled like freshly perked coffee. She kicked
off her boots, threw her coat and gloves on a chair in the corner
and went to the kitchen. “Hover, I sure could use a good cup of
coffee to warm me up before I start work on that book this
morning.”

“
At your service, Beth. How is Farmer
today?”

“
His name is Bud, and he's just fine,”
Elizabeth said. She took the cup and headed out of the room. “I'll
be in the office if you need me for anything.”

Right after lunch, Hover came to the office door. “A
car is coming toward the house.”

Elizabeth swallowed hard. “Could you see who was in
it?”

“
A woman.”

“
Really.” Elizabeth was relieved Hover didn't
say a man. Who would be coming to visit her? She peeked around the
curtain. “Oh, it's Susie from the diner. Wonder why she'd come way
out here? I suppose she has another dire warning to give me to keep
me from dating her boyfriend.”

“
I feel as if I have missed something. Would
you care to translate?” Hover droned.

“
You did miss something. I'll explain later.
Now go into the kitchen out of sight. I don't want you to come out
until she leaves.”

Susie knocked just as Elizabeth made it to the door.
“Good morning. Come in out of the cold.”

“
I intend to.” Susie stepped in far enough for
Elizabeth to shut the door.

“
Take off your coat and let me get you a cup of
coffee,” Elizabeth said, trying to be friendly.

Susie looked around the room. “Don't bother. I can't
stay long. I have to be back to the Maidrite before the supper
crowd swamps the place. My waitress won't be able to keep up
alone.”

“
Would you like to sit down?” Elizabeth pointed
to the couch.

Susie got right to the point. “No, I said I'm not
going to stay long. I just came to talk to you about Bud. So how
serious is this thing with you and Bud?”

Elizabeth bristled. “Pardon me? And you should know
our business why?”

Susie eyed her right back, not flinching. “For
starters, he's my brother. I'm worried about him getting in over
his head with you being a stranger and all. He doesn't know you as
well as he should.”

“
Oh,” Elizabeth said softly. “Listen, I'm sorry
to sound so defensive. I didn't realize that you two were
related.”